Wesoła is one of the most dynamically evolving parts of Kraków; it has not been long since the University Hospital relocated away from the district, which is now gradually becoming a quarter focused on culture, creativity and social activism. It is a place where history and remembrance go hand in hand with new ideas, and the space – largely inaccessible until recently – is becoming the city’s common value. In 2025, Wesoła functioned like a living organism providing a space for artistic experiments, a platform for dialogue with local residents and a space for trying out future urban and programme concepts.
This direction of growth has been especially noticeable through the intense, year-round programme of events featuring the arts, music, design, education, participative activities and recreation. In 2025, Wesoła didn’t simply serve as a background for culture, but it was its active co-creator by providing a space for encounters between artists, institutions, students and Cracovians. The process was overseen by the Kraków City Development Agency, coordinating collaborations between local residents and project partners while ensuring the district’s openness to different target groups.
The programme and identity of Wesoła are shaped by organisations such as the Design Pharmacy, KBF, the Observatory for Cultural Trends, the Rozstaje Association, Strefa Nowa, the Spółdzielnia Muzyczna Contemporary Ensemble, Capella Cracoviensis, Wesoła Immersive, FabLab Małopolska, the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, the Patchwork Association, the Photon Foundation (organiser of the Patchlab Digital Art Competition), the Etiuda & Anima Film Festival, Baja Studio, the Małopolska Cultural Institute, Fortepiano Atelier and Otto Pompieri.
Residents at the Design Pharmacy are active in Wesoła’s daily life; they are designers, researchers and creators who use the Pharmacy space, implement their ideas, prototype and test their latest concepts while being involved in activities supporting the district’s development. They include Grupa Robocza, Lee Bros, Monika Borycka, the Toy Museum, NIOH NIOH, Samuel Nowak, SLOT Kraków, Studio Widok and Zofia Hernas.
Scope and range of activities in 2025
In 2025, Wesoła was one of Kraków’s busiest cultural districts. It hosted over 600 events, ranging from outdoor activities and projects held in various buildings in the quarter. The programme attracted over 30 thousand participants, including almost 20 thousand people attending indoor events and over 13 thousand participants in outdoor projects. The events included six festivals, eight picnics, 136 concerts, 85 music workshops, 144 art workshops, 78 debates and meetings, 23 exhibitions, seven film screenings and 15 themed and audio guided walks. Such a broad, diverse programme is testament to Wesoła being an open cultural district active all the year round, accessible to all ages and social groups, and combining local activities with events on the city, national and international scales.
From participation to visions of the future
2025 kicked off with a strong social dimension. The participative event at 15 Kopernika Street was the starting point of a discussion on the future of the Literature and Language Centre and its role in the future Cultural Quarter. The follow-up cycle of meeting and workshop was held at the Design Pharmacy. Meetings with representatives of Kraków’s literary circles, cultural sector and local residents serve as a foundation for future activities rooted in dialogue, common decision-making and testing various development scenarios.
Participation has been an important element in the context of the Cultural Quarter (concluding in June) and throughout the Wesoła District. The results of the participative process concerning Wesoła were also reflected through an exhibition held at the Design Pharmacy, presenting a summary of the participative process hosted by KBF in 2023 and 2024 and revealing how the voices of local residents are making a real impact in shaping the future of Wesoła. Wesoła’s participative process was also presented in Brussels at an event organised by a committee of cities and regions, where it was recognised as a model to follow by a panel of experts in participation, placemaking and applying foresight in urban development.
Exhibitions, design and contemporary art
Wesoła was an important point on the map of contemporary art in Kraków. In 2025, it hosted the finissage of André Bachleda’s exhibition combined with a concert by the artist at Strefa Nowa. The Design Pharmacy hosted several exhibitions, including “Whispers. Typographic Horror Story” exploring the relationships between typography, emotions and visual narratives.
Once again Wesoła served as an important space for presenting works by up-and-coming artists as part of the OPEN ART exhibition held during the Open Eyes Art Festival. This year’s edition had a powerful impact on the district; the venue at 21 Kopernika Street presented exhibitions “OPEN ART – Fluid”, “Studies in Quiescence” and “Space for Art: Lilla Kulka – Tempus Omnia Revelat”, while Wesoła Immersive – New Media Art Centre (at 17a Kopernika Street) invited visitors to a new permanent show “The Immersive Exhibition”, the presentation “New Era – Word in Transformation” and the special event “Immersive Night”. The exhibitions were accompanied by meetings and debates with artists held in the café space, as well as special guided walks with curators and workshops for young people held at the Design Pharmacy. Wesoła was one of the key regions of Kraków Artistic Meetings 2025, bringing three special interdisciplinary exhibitions to different parts of the district: the exhibition “Identity of Ideas – Structures of Connections – Configurations” at the former Clinic of Internal Medicine (15 Kopernika Street), an outdoor presentation of large-scale sculptures at the Wesoła Meadow, and the multimedia exhibition “Twilight of Ideas – Grinder” at the Design Pharmacy. Such a wide range of formats – from interdisciplinary art, through sculptures in outdoor spaces, all the way to multimedia – confirms Wesoła’s role as an important space showcasing contemporary art in Kraków.
Music, sounds and living traditions
Music was one of the pillars of the Wesoła programme in 2025. Strefa Nowa hosted concerts of ethno and world music, album launches (including by Joanna Słowińska and Stanisław Słowiński’s quartet), numerous vocal, instrumental and dance workshops, and events held as part of the EthnoKraków/Rozstaje Festival. Spółdzielnia Muzyczna presented contemporary music concerts, Open Space composition workshops and other events, inviting participants to discover the acoustic landscape of the district during “audio guided walks”.
An important element of Wesoła’s music programme were also regular concerts by Capella Cracoviensis, attracting fans of early and classical music, performed at the ensemble’s intimate hall at the former monastery building at 19 Kopernika Street and the Church of St. Lazarus. Another important component were concerts and music sets held at the nearby Wesoła Immersive, combining sounds with immersive experiences, lighting and narration, thus expanding the definition of a concert with performative and multimedia elements. The music programme was accompanied by events organised by the Fortepiano Atelier Association, hosting low-key recitals, performances by up-and-coming musicians and presentations of period instruments. This diversity meant that in 2025 Wesoła showcased a full spectrum of musical formats, from large-scale outdoor concerts, via experimentation and improvisation, to intimate, focused encounters with music.
A special event was the EthnoKraków/Rozstaje 2025 – Returns festival, bringing together around 100 artists from 10 countries. Wesoła has become a space for encountering traditions, contemporary interpretations of ethnic music and reflections on human independence, identity and dignity.
Picnics, cinema and communal celebrations
In 2025, Wesoła also served as a space for relaxation and everyday meetings. Numerous picnics, held as part of the Edible Kraków Fest, Grzegórzki Days, summertime gatherings at the meadows and events culminating the summer holidays, brought together gastronomy, workshops, artistic activities and recreation. The district also hosted outdoor film screenings, such as “Loving Vincent” and “Clergy” preceded by lectures interpreted into Polish Sign Language.
Events held as part of the “Theatrical Meadow at Wesoła” cycle, organised by the Groteska Theatre, featured numerous artistic and educational meetings. Local residents came together to discover literature, theatre and music by reading excerpts from acclaimed literary works, participating in workshops for kids and adults and watching outdoor spectacles.
We want Kraków’s creative quarter to be diverse, open and accessible to all, so in September we hosted the “Multicultural Wesoła” event at the local meadow. The event was filled with joy and colour, and participants discovered music, fashion and customs from all corners of the globe. The district also hosted the Małopolska Youth Festival, artistic events for students at the Academy of Music, Academy of Fine Art and National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków, as well as numerous workshops and educational events.
Wesoła in the context of the city and Europe
In May 2025, the press conference with the participation of the Mayor of Kraków Aleksander Miszalski presented the masterplan for the former site of the University Hospital, marking out the framework for the continuing transformation of Wesoła. In June, the quarter served as an important point of the programme of Cities Forum 2025 – an international flagship meeting dedicated to the sustainable development of European cities. The same month Wesoła hosted members of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) as part of workshops focusing on returning historic city centres to their residents. The Masterplan for Wesoła was an example of the response to such as challenge, faced by many historic cities.
New spaces and a symbolic culmination of the year
The Wesoła Immersive – New Media Art Centre was launched in the summer. Artistic and aesthetic experiences of technology, light, sound and stories are accompanied by taste sensations, with the café serving as the perfect space for coworking and remote working. The café is a welcome addition to Wesoła Immersive’s restaurants, led by Otto Pompieri, famous for its Italian cuisine. Creativity and experiencing culture require plenty of energy, and Wesoła has recently found some delicious sources. One of the district’s latest residents is FabLab Małopolska, organiser of workshops whose participants learn to make furniture, clothes and various prototypes. In September, the Design Pharmacy marked its birthday with an open day, debates, a vernissage and music events.
2025 closed with activities organised by the Rozstaje Association, financed from revitalisation funds, once again confirming the community and intergenerational dimensions of Wesoła. The district hosted the winter components of the EthnoVillage, as well as Living Workshops held as part of the Podgórze Carolling Festival, putting music and craftsmanship traditions in a local context and in community activities. The main artistic event at the Wesoła Meadow was the launch of the Park of Non-existent Sculptures. The Design Pharmacy ushered in the festive spirit with its Gift Manufactory.
These events were the symbolic closure of the year, showing that in Wesoła culture steps beyond the frameworks of seasons or festivals. Last year also confirms that the concept of Wesoła as the city’s new creative quarter is a long-term process based on collaboration and mindfulness. It is also a place which is constantly learning, experimenting and welcoming everyone to shape Kraków’s future.
